Karel Duba

Karel Duba (29 September 1923, Písek – 21 August 1968, Ulan Bator, Mongolia) was a Czech guitarist, composer and bandleader. Duba was one of the first musicians to play electric guitar in Czechoslovakia.[1] During his career, he collaborated with important exponents of Czech jazz and pop music. He died on a concert tour in Mongolia.[2]

Biography

During German occupation of Czechoslovakia Duba began to appear at stage as a guitarist with dance orchestras. Following the liberation he performed as a member of various ensembles, The Film Symphonic Orchestra (FISYO) among others.[1] At the beginning of the 1960s he formed his own professional band. The ensemble used elements of jazz, rock and country in their compositions. Karel Duba Ensemble was also the first Czech music group experimenting with electric guitars.[1] A member of the ensemble and later successful songwriter and bandleader, bass-guitarist Karel Vágner, even called Duba the "first Czech who played electric guitar".[3]

In the 1960s, Duba's band accompanied popular Czech singers, such as Josef Laufer, Karel Gott, Yvonne Přenosilová, Karel Hála, Hana Hegerová and Josef Zíma. They also recorded vinyl records for a major Czechoslovak label Supraphon[1] and performed on concert tours both in Czechoslovakia and abroad.

On 19 August 1968, the Karel Duba Ensemble, accompanied with other musicians, travelled to play in Mongolia. On 21 August, the group decided to visit the Monument to Soviet Liberators in Ulan Bator. They went by bus, and according to the testimony of František Živný, a founding member of the band, the chauffeur had considerable problems with driving.[4] According to his report, the brakes of the bus apparently failed in the upper part of a hill, and the bus began to back up to the left shoulder of the road. Following that, the uncontrolled bus fell into an abyss. Six members of the expedition, including the bandleader Karel Duba, were found dead.[2]

Notes
  1. Poledňák, Ivan (1990). "Duba, Karel" (in Czech). Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  2. "Two Forty Years Old August Tragedies". Praha.eu - Portal of Prague. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  3. Ptáčková, Zuzana (2008). "Karel Vágner: Jsem fatalista". Televize.cz. Retrieved 2009-11-23. ("Karel Duba, člověk, který jako první hrál v této zemi na elektrickou kytaru...") (in Czech)
  4. Vavroušek (2006), pp. 16-17.

References
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